There are many situations in which it is desirable, even imperative, to isolate and protect those searching for potentially dangerous objects in the clothing of criminal suspects. In law enforcement fields, police officers frequently need to search the clothing and possessions of suspected criminals for guns, knives, razors, needles, drug containers and many other potentially dangerous objects. Standard "pat down" procedures can be very dangerous to the law enforcement officer. Weapons can discharge, and of course knives, razors and needles can easily cut the officers during the pat down. The risk to these law enforcement offers is now multiplied with the widespread existence of HIV positive and hepatitis carriers.
Standard pat down procedures using the officer's hands may also smudge fingerprints or otherwise disturb potentially useful evidence. Using standard manual pat down methods for searching a suspected criminal by an officer of the opposite sex also exposes the officer to allegations of improper sexual contact during the pat down process.
Similar problems exist for searching baggage, containers, refuse, ashes, and so forth for weapons, illicit material or evidence. There is an urgent need to isolate and preferably increase the sensitivity of the search process to the objects of the search.
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